Method for processing tobacco for use in the manufacture of cigarettes



April 14, 1964 EISSMANN 3,128,775

0. E. METHOD FOR PROCESSING TOBACCO FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OFCIGARETTES Filed Jan. 18, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR Oswald EriqhEissmunn By 1U ATTORNEY o. E. EISSMANN 3,128,775 OR PROCESSING TOBACCOFOR USE IN E MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 14, 1964METHO Flled Jan 18 1961 Oswald Erich Eissmann BY .4242? ATTORNEY3,128,775 SING TOBACCO FOR USE IN ETTES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 PROCES THEMANUFACTURE OF CIGAR April 14, 1964 o. E. EISSMANN METHOD FOR Filed Jan.18. 1961 United States Patent Ofifice 3,128,775 Patented Apr. 14, 19643,128,775 METHOD FOR PROCESSING TOBACCO FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OFCIGARETTES Oswald Erich Eissmann, Richmond, Va., assignor to AmericanMachine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 18,1961, Ser. No. 83,545 4 Claims. (Cl. 131-146) This invention relates toa method for cutting tobacco and similar material, and more particularlyto the crosscutting of leaf tobacco fed continuously.

It has been found in cigarette manufacturing that cigarettes sometimestend to be more compact than at other times. This variation incompactness is obviously undesirable. One of the causes for thisvariation is the difference in shred lengths which are delivered to thecigarette making machine. For example, a shred may range in length fromMe" in size to a size of several inches. Thus, if very small shreds arereceived, the cigarette may be more compact than if the shreds were verylong.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide a novel method of cuttingtobacco leaves with a tobacco cutting device which can control thevariation in shred length to thus provide shreds of predeterminedlengths resulting in cigarettes of more uniform density than when madewith shreds having widely different lengths.

Another object of this invention is to cut the tobacco first in parallelstrips, and then to cross-cut the tobacco strips transversely to theirlength.

A further object of this invention is to cut whole tobacco leaves intosquare or rectangular lamina having stems, and then to process the cutleaves through a thresher, to separate the lamina from the stem portion.

Another object of this invention is to subdivide leaves into largesquares and then subject the cut squares to a shredding operation tomake shredded tobacco.

Another object of this invention is to control the transfer of thetobacco as it is first cut in strips in one direction by one cuttingmeans and then at an angle to the axis of the strips by another cuttingmeans to form individual pieces.

A further object of this invention is to have tobacco cut accordingly toa substantially predetermined presized size so as to control the densityof the tobacco in cigarettes.

Other important objects and features of the invention will becomeapparent from the accompanying description of the method and anembodiment of the device according to this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andwherein like characters of reference have been applied to correspondingparts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is 21 tion.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of another embodiment of this invention showingtwo cutting devices with the transferring conveyors.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken through line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken through line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing atransfer mechanism to change the direction of cut tobacco fromlongitudinal to a lateral movement, and

FIG. 5 illustrates diagrammatically a tobacco leaf out according to myinvention.

FIGURE 6 is a block diagram illustrating the method according to thisinvention.

To illustrate my invention, I have disclosed for the purpose ofillustration only, and without intending to limit myself to thisspecific apparatus, one type of mechanism plan view of one embodiment ofmy invenwhich readily enables my invention to be carried into eifect.

According to the invention, the tobacco leaves lying flatly on aconveyor are first cut in one direction and then cut again at an angleto the original cut. While I have shown this second cut to be at a anglefor purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be appreciated itcould be at any other angle as well. Because the pieces of tobacco arepresized by this method, the variation in length of the resulting shredscan then be more readily maintained within a much narrower range. As aconsequence, cigarettes of more uniform compactness can then be made.When utilizing my tobacco cutting machine for cross cutting the tobaccois first cut in one direction and then a transfer mechanism is used tochange the direction of the cut tobacco from its longitudinal movementto a lateral movement.

As shown in FIG. 1, tobacco leaves which have been dropped or in someway placed on a suitable conveyor (not shown) are cut into strips in onedirection by a cutter 2 and are discharged onto a belt 4 which advancesthem into the range of action of a suitable knife 6 such as a fly typeknife, which severs the leaves at an angle to the original cut intopieces 9 of predetermined size. While I have shown the cutter 6 ascutting at a right angle to the cut made by cutter 2, any other anglecould also be employed. In other words the angle of cut employed will bethat desired to obtain the shape of pieces desired. Cutter 2 may be ofthe type described in my Patent No. 2,984,276, dated May 16, 1961.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, tobacco leaves,which have been placed lengthwise on a suitable conveyor (not shown) arecut into strips in one direction by a cutter 10 and are discharged ontoa belt 12 which advances them to a cutting station where a knife 14severs the leaves at an angle to the original cut into pieces ofpredetermined size. Cutter 10 may be of the type described in my PatentNo. 2,984,276, referred to above.

' The severed lengths of tobacco 16 are discharged onto a speedup belt18, which runs at a faster rate than the belt 12, so as to provide aspace between the trailing end of the severed length 16 and the leadingend of the tobacco from which it was severed. The severed length oftobacco then comes within the range of action of a suitable transfermechanism. For purposes of illustration only I have shown how thismechanism may consist of a reciprocating pusher 20, which deflects thelengths onto a suitable conveyor such as belt 22. The belt 22 deliversthe laterally arranged tobacco segments in between a pair of cutters 24which may be similar to cutters 10 Where the tobacco is again cut at anangle to thereby provide tobacco pieces of substantially uniform size.By regulating and coordinating the speed of belt 12 and cutters l0 and14 with each other, the size of the pieces obtained can be varied so asto obtain the presized tobacco pieces desired. While I have for purposesof illustration only shown this last cutting operation to be at a 90angle to the previous cut, it will be appreciated that this last cutcould also be at a different angle if preferred to facilitate thecutting operation as well as to obtain the type of pieces desired.

As shown in FIG. 5, leaf 26 has been cut by the above describedoperation into squares 28 consisting of lamina portions 29, 29, attachedto stem portions 30 of the leaf stem 32, and into all-lamina squares 34and segments 36. When tobacco which has been thus cut into squares isshredded it necessarily will result in shreds of relatively more uniformlength because the dimensions of the square impose a limit on the lengthof shred that can be produced. Uniformity is improved further becausethe all-lamina squares, after separation from squares 28, can beshredded directly without intermediate threshing, and therefore theobjectionable dust-like particles which normally would be produced inthe course of threshing are not present in the final product.

As diagrammed in FIGURE 6, in accordance with this invention the squares28 (or other configurations depending on the type of cut) having stemportions 30 are separated from all-lamina squares 34 and segments 36 bysending these through a tobacco separator of known construction. Squares28 (or other shape depending on the angle of cutting) are then processedin tobacco threshers, also of known construction such as disclosed inUS. Patent 2,944,629, granted to O. E. Eissmann on July 12, 1960, toremove the lamina portions 29, 29' from the stem portions 30, while theseparated segments and squares 34, 36 are passed directly on to ashredding operation as illustrated. In this case, only a small portionof the tobacco leaf passes through the threshing process. Hence, alesser number of the threshers is required because all of the tobaccoleaf is not threshed, and there will be less fines, because all of thelamina will not be subjected to threshing. After threshing, the lamina29, 29' and stem portions 30 are subjected to a further separatingoperation (the lamina portions thereby being separated from stemportions) and these lamina portions finally are passed on to theshredding operation while the stem portions are separately collected.

In still another variation of the invention, a plurality of cutter setsand any number of conveying means may be employed to cut the tobaccointo squares and to then subject the squares to a shredding operation.Leaf tobacco presized in accord with his invention may then be feddirectly to a rod forming apparatus such as that disclosed in my PatentNo. 3,026,878, dated March 27, 1962, where it will be shredded while onits Way to the rod forming station.

In yet another variation of the invention, a single cutter may be used.In this variation strips of tobacco leaves or tobacco material may bereceived in parallel a1ignment from another tobacco cutting machine andthen cut at an angle by the cutter to form pieces of the dimensionsdesired.

By angularly cutting tobacco in this manner, there will be a controlledvariance in shred length which enables cigarettes of more uniformdensity to be made, than when shreds have widely different lengths.

The invention described may therefore be varied within the scope of theclaims, for the particular method and device selected to illustrate theinvention are representative of many possible embodiments of the same.The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise detailsof the method and structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing uniformly shredded tobacco comprising the stepsof:

(a) neatly cutting and cross-cutting natural tobacco leaf into pieceslarger than shred size having a substantially uniform, definite shape,

(b) subjecting said pieces to a separating operation to segregate piecescontaining tobacco stem and rib portions from pieces containingessentially only tobacco leaf,

(0) threshing said pieces thereby separated and containing said tobaccostem and rib portions to further separate tobacco leaf particles frompieces of stem and rib, and

(d) shredding both said tobacco leaf particles separated by threshingand said cut pieces containing essentially only tobacco leaf.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said cutting is effectedmainly to form quadrangular pieces.

3. A method of producing uniformly shredded tobacco comprising the stepsof:

(a) neatly cutting and cross-cutting natural tobacco leaf into pieceslarger than shred size having a substantially uniform, definite shape,

(b) subjecting said pieces to a separating operation to segregate piecescontaining tobacco stem and rib portions from pieces containingessentially only tobacco leaf, and

(c) shredding said pieces thereby separated and containing essentiallyonly tobacco leaf.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said cutting is effectedmainly to form quadrangular pieces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS180,951 Smothers Aug. 8, 1876 209,808 Holley Nov. 12, 1878 485,483Abojador Nov. 1, 1892 1,340,225 Howard May 18, 1920 2,161,891 Spang June13, 1939 2,186,167 Eissmann Jan. 9, 1940 2,187,252 Urschel Jan. 16, 19402,188,307 Patterson Jan. 30, 1940 2,327,103 Gude Aug. 17, 1943 2,398,450Rundell Apr. 16, 1946 2,734,513 Hungerford et al Feb. 14, 1956 FOREIGNPATENTS 122,338 Austria Apr. 10, 1931 286,421 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1928

3. A METHOD OF PRODUCING UNIFORMLY SHREDDED TOBACCO COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) NEATLY CUTTING AND CROSS-CUTTING NATURAL TOBACCO LEAF INTO PIECES LARGER THAN SHRED SIZE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM, DEFINITE SHAPE, 